Blog Archives

As the damage caused by the BP offshore oil rig spill continues to spread, a group of 39 environmental and civil society organizations (including 1Sky) delivered a letter to the Senate this morning, urging senators to reconsider plans to allow expanded offshore oil and gas exploration in future legislation. These organizations, representing millions of concerned Americans, make the case that as the BP oil rig disaster shows, offshore drilling poses an unacceptable risk to the health, livelihood and environment of millions of Americans. Read the entire letter with the list of signatories below.

After a week of friction amongst Democratic leadership, the legislative
calendar is coming into focus. The Senate is on the verge of passing
Wall
street reform, which if done quickly will leave space for a
comprehensive
energy and climate bill to be considered this spring. Co-sponsors of the
draft
legislation have yet to set out a new timeline for the bill's release,
but
tensions have eased considerably since the initial disagreements began
last
weekend.

By far the biggest environmental and climate story this week has been the unfolding tragedy along the Gulf Coast caused by the explosion of a BP offshore oil rig. Despite ongoing efforts, the oil keeps leaking into the Gulf at a rate of between 210,000 - 1 million gallons a day, depending on whose estimates you believe. As you would expect, the oil spill is affecting the politics of passing (or not) a climate and energy bill this year -- and predictions are all over the place. But even during this grim week, the House of Representatives delivered some good news on energy efficiency.

There was a lot riding on President Obama's second Supreme Court nomination. With a closely-divided court that recently issued the blatantly pro-corporation Citizens United v. FEC decision, Justice John Paul Stevens' replacement could have enormous influence over the future of the climate movement -- and not necessarily for the better.

Andy Silber is a astrophysicist, engineer, project manager, husband, father, and energy activist living in Seattle. Visit Andy's blog on Sustainable West Seattle. The author's opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the 1Sky campaign.-- Garth

Nothing screams fun at an event more than having bright and memorable visuals. These can also help to distinguish your action and organization to potential new volunteers and the press. The great thing about visuals is you don’t have to be an artistic, barefoot college student with windswept hair pulling all-nighters to design them (although you get extra points if you meet those criteria). Nor do you need to have a professional photographer nearby to convey how great they are. Anyone can do these!

The climate movement is facing a challenging moment. From the appalling Gulf Oil Catastrophe to the West Virginia coal mining disaster to yesterday’s American Power Act bill draft, the movement has a lot on its plate right now. Today, 1Sky and experts from our allies Green For All, the Sierra Club, and Oxfam America put these issues up for discussion in an hour-long national call-in on climate, energy, green jobs, and international adaptation.